kababaihan-at-kapayapaan-issue-3

your job, will the left recruit you?That’s the bottom line. I couldn’tsee that before. I couldn’t figureout the left’s basis for recruitment.”She learned how displacement,unemployment and poverty arefactors leading to the vulnerability of aperson to be recruited by the left.As part of her job, Zen worked withOPAPP on the GPH–MNLF PeaceAgreement as her first assignment.At that time, although there werewomen in the staff, she was the onlywoman officer of NSC. She studiedthe agenda of the GPH–MNLF PeaceAgreement since they were workingon the Organic Act (Republic Act6734) which called for the creation ofthe Autonomous Region in MuslimMindanao.In 1998, Zen was appointed assistantdirector general for Administrationand Legislative Liaison and PolicyResearch Support. She held the postuntil 2010 when she was promoted toDeputy DG.In 2010, Zen was appointedundersecretary of the NSC andexecutive director of the PresidentialSituation Room (PSR). Createdthrough Administrative Ordernumber 2, the PSR is where thePresident handles situations of criticalimportance to national security. Itprovides the President informationin real time and a space for dealingwith security situations. Zen makes ita point to review the PSR report everyday which she needs to finish by eighto’clock every evening.Zen was not involved in actualnegotiations during the GPH–MILFPeace Process. “My involvementwas giving opinions, comments withrespect to the things that OPAPPwould send us.” But in the end, shewas appointed chair of the GPHTechnical Working Group (TWG) onNormalization.“When I arrived in KL for the firstmeeting, the MILF team was shocked.They never saw me during the timewhen Dean Marvic Leonen was GPHpanel chair.” But she felt she hadthe upper hand when handling themeetings because she already knewsome of the people involved in thenegotiations.“Iqbal has been known to me eversince we negotiated the CeasefireAgreement in 1996. We drafted thatmechanism.” Zen was anxious at firstbecause this was the first time thatshe had come face-to-face with anMILF commander, her counterpart,Muhammad Nassif. To overcomeher anxiety and to learn moreabout the process, she befriendedher counterpart on the other sideof the table. “So, that started theintroductions and during coffee time,I told my partner, usap tayo (let’s talk).”The Comprehensive Agreement onthe Bangsamoro and its Annexes,including that of the Normalization,was signed in March 2014. Zen iscurrently the co-chair of the JointNormalization Committee (JNC) taskedto implement the different phases ofthe Annex on Normalization, makingsure that the police structure basedon the Annex is set up, and theirrole on the decommissioning. “TheJNC, together with the InternationalDecommissioning Body (IDB),determines how to secure thecombatants who will turn over theirfirearms at and come up with a socioeconomicpackage for them.” JNCmakes the policy and the Joint Peaceand Security Committee through theJoint Peace and Security Team whowill implement it.”What excites Zen about herwork in normalization is thedecommissioning. “It will be a big,big accomplishment and it will showthe world that after all, these peopleare reasonable. When someone saysthat the MILF is not to be trusted, myresponse is, just wait, everyone makesmistakes. The most exciting part isthe fulfilment of the objective of thedecommissioning which is to get theMILF to turn over their firearms andgive the rebels a civilian life. THAT ismaking a difference.”The challenge of peaceWith all the challenges the peaceprocess is facing, Zen is optimisticthat peace can be attained and thepeace process will work. “I thinkwith the help and prayers ofeveryone, it will. We’ve gone a longway, decisions of individuals andpolicy makers would have to bepragmatic. We have to be pragmatic;we have to think of long-termsolutions, and not just for thisadministration. We’ve been throughconflict a lot and the solutions ofbefore didn’t really work. So thisis making a difference in decisionmaking,I am hopeful that this willwork, if we all cooperate.”Zen adds, “Peace is something youwork for. Peace cannot be done by anindividual; it is a partnership. But youhave to have inner peace before youcan make peace with everyone.”Zen Brosas might not be dancing, orrunning a farm or planting a garden,but by the work she is doing, she israising more than crops or flowers.She has raised a consciousness ofthe work for peace, and how in thetraditionally male domain of nationalsecurity, a woman can and has, madea big difference.March 2015KABABAIHANatKAPAYAPAAN15